He is bigger than me, nasty, and cruel – the bully, assigned the seat behind me in 4th grade. Every few minutes, he reaches forward and tweaks my ear. I quietly seethe in growing anger, but continue to hope his harassment will cease. It is not to be. In an instant reaction of boiling rage, I rise, whirl, and attack. After getting in a few good hits and some choice words, I am sent to the principal’s office feeling relieved and rather proud.

The Bully

The Obama Administration has been tweaking the American people’s ears for 17 months. Each time a new story breaks, it is another drip in the water torture of those who value their country and way of life and wish to preserve it. The retaliation will begin in November. Let’s look at a few of the reasons.

Stimulus Bill: Well north of $800 Billion is committed to this blatant purchase of public employee and union loyalty. The vast bulk of this pork barrel is targeted at maintaining employment in the public sector – not at energizing private, wealth producing industry.

TARP Automaker Bailout: Diverting money from a financial bailout fund, GM and Chrysler were forced into a perverted form of “bankruptcy” directed by the Obama Administration. Bond holders were ripped off and the UAW paid off. Instead of allowing the courts to settle the issues, the Administration propped up zombie companies solely to preserve union pensions, dues, and votes at taxpayer expense.

Blame America First: The President never misses an opportunity either at home or overseas to criticize America for deeds of the past and lecture citizens on the unfairness of our free economy and lifestyles. Americans want a President to lead and support them – not continuously degrade the nation’s accomplishments and the efforts of its entrepreneurs.

Close Guantanamo Bay: This idea was inept foolishness, and has not been accomplished. Americans do not want terrorists on US soil and feel they should be dealt with fairly, by the military, in a far away place.

Terror Trials in NYC: Based on PC instead of common sense, the Administration’s promise to hold the trials of the 9/11 defendants in New York in a civilian court instead of relying on a Military Tribunal has enraged millions. There is no cogent excuse for this decision and the pushback has been massive and widespread.

Health Care Bill: Against the will of the majority of the American people, this monstrous 2700 page bill was passed into law before anyone could read and understand its unintended consequences. Sold partly as a way to “bend the cost curve down”, recent developments have pointed to the exact opposite. Doctors are trying to sell their practices to escape the business. Major firms are charging huge amounts against future earnings, and it is estimated that half of those presently insured will lose the coverage they have within 3 years.

Border Security: The Administration has avoided securing the border apparently for political reasons, the security of the American people and the rule of law be damned. Out of desperation Arizona passed a law to enable local authorities to participate in the apprehension of illegal immigrants and turn them over to ICE. Instead of enforcing Federal law, the Administration is suing Arizona!

Cap & Trade legislation: In the depths of the worst recession since the 1930s, and after candidate Obama’s admission that “energy costs will necessarily skyrocket”, the Administration plans to push for passage of “Cap & Trade”. This will create a huge market in carbon credits ripe for manipulation and punish job creating businesses with crushing increases in costs. It will kill yet more jobs when we least need such results.

Oil Spill response: Two months of uncontrolled oil gushing into the Gulf of Mexico has fouled beaches, smothered fish, drowned wildlife, and tossed thousands out of their life’s work. Foreign countries’ offers of aid are spurned by the Administration out of hubris and refusal to suspend the Jones Act. Instead of gathering experts and planning a response, a “commission” consisting of anti-oil zealots is appointed and deep oil drilling is prohibited for 6 months throwing thousands more out of work. There is no direction and no clear lines of authority. Operations and plans by states and municipalities to protect themselves are quashed by federal bureaucracies. Throughout this time, the President plays golf, throws parties, and attends private concerts. The Nero Administration is totally dysfunctional while the greatest environmental catastrophe in America’s history runs amok with no coordinated reaction.

Spending: No Administration in history has spent more money, most of borrowed from China and future generations, than this one. The Federal Budget Deficit has quadrupled on an annual basis and these tankers full of red ink are projected as far as the eye can see. This has to be reversed immediately by stopping the Administration in its tracks before the plunge toward national bankruptcy and the destruction of our children’s’ future is irrevocable.

Tax Increases: The Administration is rubbing its hands together awaiting an expected increase in revenue from the expiration of the Bush Tax Cuts. Unfortunately the consequence is that businesses are allocating as much revenue as possible into 2010, and hoarding cash. This is a recipe for compounding and prolonging the recession since money on the sidelines cannot create jobs through purchasing and expansion.

McChrystal Article: The Afghan people live in and prefer the 7th century. Attempting to drag them kicking and screaming into the 21st goes against their grain. They have proudly defeated outside invaders for a thousand years and see no reason to quit now. Presidential preferences (Bush and Obama) to eliminate opium cultivation, turn Islam from a lifestyle into a religion, stand up a secular democracy, and eliminate the Taliban may be a bridge too far. Obama already canned one general, and now fires McChrystal over an article in which the general and his staff let their guards down badly. This is not the President’s fault directly, but the overlapping and confused lines of authority between the military and various civilian officials are similar to the oil spill debacle. The apparent lack of direct leadership and control from the Oval Office cannot help but add to the impression that the Administration is in way over its head.

Foreign Relations: The act of sending the Churchill bust back to England and presenting schlocky DVDs to the British Prime Minister was crass. The ill treatment of the Israeli Prime Minister was inexcusable. Pulling the plug on missile defense in Poland and the Czech Republic was pathetic, and expecting the Iranian Mullahs to abandon their nuclear ambitions by smiling at them is naive at best. Dissing Honduras after the court legally deposed a President and leaving Columbia twisting in the wind on trade are alerting our historical allies that the US is not a dependable partner. Bowing to foreign heads of state is unacceptable conduct by an American President. Jimmy Carter may yet live to see himself elevated in history by the abject performance of this President.

The Obama Administration is the bully, the American people; its victims. Our ears are stinging from this continued abuse. As Americans it is our duty to the nation and its future to whirl and fight back. Your opportunity to vote this November must not be missed.

Obama is leaning hard on the Arizona anti-illegal immigration law that was passed in response to the federal government’s refusal to fulfill its obligations. He objects because in his opinion, the law has “the possibility of racial profiling” within it. How about the “possibility” of drug crime, property crime, human trafficking, kidnapping, murders, rapes, and gang activity that it might help prevent? Both his Attorney General and Homeland Security Secretary have admitted they never read the Arizona law after denouncing it for weeks. Obama’s mouthpiece says that the President has read it, but he is still complaining. Obama admits that immigration is a federal responsibility, but flatly refuses to lift a finger to address the problem.

The President is pandering to the Hispanic vote even though nearly 80% of Americans support border enforcement. Below is one question from a FOX News/Opinion Dynamics poll that specifically asks if law enforcement can or should ask for proof of legal status.

Obviously President Obama and his Administration are poles apart from the will of the American people on this subject.

Last week Mexican Presidente Felipe Calderon flayed the Arizona law in front of a joint session of Congress. Democrats, including the Homeland Security Secretary, Attorney General, and Vice President arose and gave a standing ovation. These people are so far out on a limb, gravity is about to step in and teach them a lesson.

Listen very carefully to Calderon’s exact words toward the end of the clip: “Of the weapons we have been able to trace, 80% came from the United States.”This is true, but only part of the story. Most of the weapons confiscated in Mexico’s drug wars cannot be traced because they came from places outside the US and no records of serial numbers are available. Many of the weapons captured like rocket launchers, grenades, machine guns, and automatic rifles are not sold in the US at all.

Now that you have seen Congressional Democrats making fools of themselves; take a peek at Calderon’s explanation of how illegals are handled in Mexico. The kicker is the last sentence – “We send back them!”:

It looks as if Arizona is enforcing nothing that Mexico is not already doing. Following a meeting today with Senate Republicans, President Obama announced he was requesting 1,200 National Guard troops to be stationed at the Mexican border.

That is not protection; it is merely a face saving pinprick. He wants to look tough while having as little resulting enforcement as possible.

This writer served in a Marine Corps Rifle Company IN Viet Nam for nearly a year and a half. He was never “decorated,” just did his job as ordered and returned home to start a new life. ‘Nuff said.

Richard Blumenthal struck a raw nerve with thousands of Viet Nam veterans by “misspeaking” a number of times about his imagined service “in” Viet Nam. Oddly enough, a number of news stories over the years had also placed him “in” Viet Nam, and he never bothered to correct the record. He appeared at a news conference apologizing for unintentionally misleading the public and proffering the excuse that he had not seen the news stories. Now think about this for a moment: A high level elected official for over 20 years does not avidly read and save each and every news clipping about HIM that is spotted and collected by his staff and many supporters? That belies the imagination.

He frequents the headquarters of the local VFW chapter. Is he a member? If so, he obviously got in by lying about his service since VFW members have to present a copy of their DD-214 Form proving participation in an overseas combat zone. How’d he pull that off – and when will they kick his butt out?

During the Viet Nam war, reserve forces were seldom if ever used in combat. It was well known at the time that if one could join the reserves of any branch, they would serve their military obligation in the comfort of their home state and not be shipped south with a rifle and some C rations for a year. Dan Quayle was pilloried for being a reservist as was George W. Bush. Naturally the reserves had waiting lists of young men who desired to avoid being drafted, but wanted to preserve their political viability for the future. We can be pretty certain that joining the Marine Corps Reserve took a bit more perseverance than opening a phone book on a lark and being put on a bus to Parris Island.

The book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Viet Nam War, in a footnoted statement revealed that fewer than 3 million actually went to Viet Nam during the war, but nearly 12 million state so on census forms. I do not know where these figures came from, but I have met a number of BS-ers and crackpots over the years whose stories fall apart real quick when quizzed up on details by one who was actually there.

In this age of warped moral relativism, it seems lying is acceptable behavior. It was not so 45 years ago when millions of us answered our nation’s call to serve and face the imminent dangers of a hot war. Blumenthal’s blithe excuses backed up by a bunch of effeminate hugs among him and some “useful idiots” (and God, it hurts me to see honorable Marine veterans being used like that) was nothing but Kabuki theatre aimed solely at saving his pathetic behind for an upcoming election.

I have deep respect for anyone who has proven his merit by graduating from Marine Corps Recruit Training and worn the uniform proudly until honorably discharged. I also admire Blumenthal’s record of being strong on veterans’ issues. However it is very hard to accept the apparent intentional embellishment of a decent record into a false, misleading, and fictional intimation of imagined valor.

If the citizens of Connecticut have any sense of decency, Blumenthal should be political toast. Let us hope so.

A man whom I respect, but agree with on almost nothing sent the following email over the transom this morning. It was so idiotic, that a response was in order. Below is the text of the original message and my answer to him:

Here’s what my friend wrote:

“Anyone who supported a $3 trillion intervention so that Iraqis could experience the joys of democracy, but now claims that “we can’t afford” health care reform, is not allowed to participate in meaningful policy debate for at least the next four years.”

Here is my response to him:

I sincerely respect you for your service, but your hysterical and whacked out view of this situation is troubling.

First off, your “$3 trillion” figure is well over 400% of the actual cost which is $714,640,000,000. That is MUCH LESS than $3 trillion. You should check these facts out before just sending stuff from your friend along as fact.

Second, our national debt combined with the total unfunded liabilities of Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid is approximately $117 TRILLION * BEFORE adding the monstrous health care entitlement program. I know it makes liberals feel good to dragoon money from those who earn it and give it to those who don’t, but who is going to end up holding the debt sack when the music stops and China quits funding our shortfalls?

My beloved Goddaughter will be paying all her life for this criminal foolishness long after we who squandered her future are gone. Unfortunately liberals are present time oriented and cannot consider history or contemplate the future. They are stuck in the here and now and only care about what makes them feel good in the moment. Playing Robin Hood with other peoples’ money gives them a Chris Mathews type tickle up their leg. They are incapable of considering the long term damage their asinine misallocation of productive resources will eventually lead to.

You can believe in this nonsense and support it all you want, but my job is to fight it to my last breath.

Now please do the honorable thing and forward this response along to all those you sent the original message to. You are welcome to include my name, email and phone number. Don’t forget to send it along to your friend Mr. XXXX.

All the Best,

Old Iron Jarhead

* Just for concept purposes, that is 336 STACKS of $100 bills that would reach the International Space Station from the earth’s surface.

One of the greatest public speakers of all time was Winston Churchill. He had no teleprompter and normally practiced his speeches for at least 12 hours before ever stepping in front of an audience. President Obama, on the other hand, in his narcissistic need to be on TV at all hours day and night, can’t take the time to vet and rehearse every speech. Granted, he is usually quite smooth and convincing as he transmits flowing lines from the screen into oratory, but without the electronic crutch, or when it malfunctions, he quickly loses his renowned rhetorical magic.

Not only does Obama eschew the time and effort to practice and polish every presentation as Churchill did, he even went so far as to haughtily send the Churchill bust from the Oval Office back to the UK. Obama insulted generations of Englishmen and those of us in the US who revere the strength and iron will of the man. Perhaps the President might have missed a chance to learn from one of the masters.

No recent teleprompter malfunction approaches yesterday’s mispronunciation, three times no less, of the word “Corpsman.” To realize that the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the United States did not take the time or effort to learn to correctly pronounce the word just enhances the suspicion that he is nothing but an empty suit acting his way through a speech written by hacks and downloaded onto a screen. Pull back the curtain and observe the great Barack of Oz.

A “Corpsman” pronounced “Coreman” is the closest thing to divinity in human form on this earth. Affectionally known as “Doc,” Corpsmen are US Navy medical personnel that are embedded in Marine Infantry and other units and throughout the Navy. Corpsmen share their unique and dearly appreciated positions with Medics who serve the same purpose in the Army. Their job is to look after the health of servicemen and women during peacetime. As first responders on the battlefield, they rescue and treat the wounded at great personal risk to themselves.

Going into combat, the knowledge that a Corpsman will instantly put his life in dire peril to save an injured Marine is a bedrock morale support in times of the greatest test a human can ever face. Supreme confidence that the Corpsman is nearby with bandages, plasma, morphine and superhuman courage to administer them even under vicious enemy fire enhances the personal courage needed to close with and destroy the enemy. Knowing a Corpsman will selflessly drag one through a bullet-stitched rice paddy to safety at the severe risk to his own life is a supreme comfort in the heat of a firefight.

Of course anyone – even a president – can misspeak occasionally. George Bush elevated malapropism to a near art form. But, Obama was praising a Navy Corpsman for an especially commendable act. He was not just reading a list of military personnel and job descriptions. One would think that among all the inexperienced yes-men and sycophants in his inner circle, someone should know how to pronounce the word. Does Obama think the Marine Corps is also pronounced as it appears? What this minor verbal faux pas demonstrates is that the President’s addiction to the limelight is beginning to outdistance his support system. His exhibitionist tendencies have led to “too much Obama much too often.” Americans are going to get as sick of seeing him as they got of hearing “Hey Jude” ten million times.

“Standing” is a legal term that applies to lawsuits. Basically, a person does not have the right to seek a court order unless he has been directly affected by a bad law or the acts of the defendant. If a plaintiff lacks standing, his lawsuit will not be heard by the court. It will be thrown out. The President has just made a promise to eliminate “don’t ask – don’t tell” as a policy involving gays serving openly in the military. He and Congress may have the authority to do this, but he and Congress have no standing. With few exceptions, they have never stood in the boots of a combat soldier.

Most young heterosexual American males accept that gays have a right to their lifestyle, but that does not mean they want to mix with them in the close confines of a military living situation. Working with gays in an office environment by day is a lot different than sharing group sanitary and shower facilities and bunks stacked 5 high in the cramped confines of a troop ship for weeks at a time. It is not homophobic to be deeply offended to realize that another man is showing interest in one’s physical attributes with sexual thoughts on the brain. Women hate being leered at and mentally disrobed by men. Straight men feel even stronger about the same behavior emanating from other males.

Young, physically strong males are most adaptable to being made into good fighting men. They must be trained and develop the inner desire, the need even, to close with and destroy the enemy with whatever weapon is at hand. This drive to kill must be stronger than the fear of great harm or even death. Courage in the face of the enemy is backed up by the knowledge that one is a member of a homogenous group experiencing identical feelings along with a total commitment to fight beside and also protect each other.

Physically and mentally there are doubtless some gays who would be willing to pack the loads, live with the misery, fight hard and if necessary, die in the service of their country. It is probable though that they are a minority within a minority. However even one openly gay trooper in a rifle company may be one too many.

In a combat situation, esprit de corps, loyalty, and high morale are paramount. The addition of differences, sexual tensions, and suspicions of ulterior motives among fellow soldiers will sap morale. The superiority belief so necessary to esprit will be diluted by the feeling that some brothers in arms are physically male, but not wired like men. The fear that a gay NCO might spare his fellow gay and order some other private jump a grenade will always be present among the straights.

Political correctness and pressure from gay activists have combined to push the military closer and closer to integrating women and gays into active service. Gays point out that the military was very successfully racially integrated in 1948 and that more and more women are serving honorably in many capacities today. The President and Congress, wanting to please this voting bloc, cultivating support and contributions, are again pressuring military leaders to change present policy.

The Joint Chiefs rose to their positions by pleasing superiors and Congress over the years and can be somewhat wishy washy when it comes to following directions from the President. Yes, the Commander in Chief has direct authority over the military services, and Congress can pass edicts, but strong principled resistance to bad ideas is not generally expected or received from the Joint Chiefs. They got along to get along to rise to their positions. Falling on one’s sword rather than acquiescing to accepting bad ideas is pretty much not their way of life. Admiral Mullin’s testimony on the subject marks him as “Example 1” saying exactly what Congress and the President wanted to hear instead of considering his primary responsibility to subordinates and troops.

The argument put forth that the new policy will lead to more volunteers and help recruiting is probably a canard. The best fighting men we have often come from the ranks of inner city blacks, Hispanics, and southern rural whites. These groups are usually quite conservative in their value systems and many would eschew the opportunity to serve alongside openly gay fellow soldiers. Our military exists to protect our country. It has been said that their primary job is to kill the bad guys and break their stuff. Political correctness, pandering to interest groups, and social experimentation should not interfere with that mission in any way.

There are obviously some fine gays today in our armed forces, but they serve without making their orientation known within the military. This avoids the very real negative consequences discussed above. The President and Congress should command the military, but they must let the generals run it.